


Each Kiss is a Victory

by miscellanium



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Established Relationship, Friendship/Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-16
Updated: 2016-07-16
Packaged: 2018-07-24 06:55:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7498485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miscellanium/pseuds/miscellanium
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"The bet was loser goes on a date with the winner, right?" Yuuya leans in, elbows on the table. "That means you would've gotten to go on a date with me either way. Pretty slick move, Sawatari."</p>
<p>[a coda of sorts to "<a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/5576431">The World in Him</a>" and reading that first is recommended, though not essential.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Each Kiss is a Victory

"Hey, Sawatari." Yuuya's voice is bright and there's a smile in his eyes but Shingo's learned to hear the sharpness hiding in those round vowels. At least that's how it seems with him as defensive as ever, just in a different way.

Shingo takes another bite of his waffles, chewing carefully then swallowing before looking up. They're at an upscale diner during the morning rush, the place loud with salarymen and other kids eager to take advantage of that day's special offer, so Yuuya can't quite tell if Shingo didn't hear anything or if he's flat-out ignoring him. They'd gotten up early at Shingo's insistence and he always wants to try and keep things on his own terms, doesn't he?

"Sawatari?"

One last bite. "Yeah?" But before Yuuya can answer him he continues: "You want more, don't you? I told you this place was good! And I've got my papa's card so—"

Yuuya laughs, short and light. "I wanted to ask you something. Remember that duel we had before we started dating?"

"Which duel? Oh, you mean when you lost a bet to me? Sorry, you've lost to me so often it was hard to remember," says Shingo, waving his fork with a studied carelessness before going for a big mouthful of whipped cream.

"Sure. Anyway, the bet was loser goes on a date with the winner, right?" Yuuya leans in, elbows on the table. "That means you would've gotten to go on a date with me either way. Pretty slick move, Sawatari."

Shingo sputters, a small blush starting on his cheeks. "I don't know what you're talking about!" He knows exactly what Yuuya's talking about. There may be an army of emotions storming across his face but there's no doubt, no confusion. 

"I know you don't think im the sharpest tool in the shed, at least not compared to yourself," Yuuya says with a chuckle. "But give me some credit, will y—"

"That's not it."

Yuuya sits back and pushes around the food on his plate. "Then what is it?"

"It's." Shingo falls silent, his blush blossoming red across his whole face. He stares down at his hands, brows furrowed, and presses his lips closed tight.

Looking out the window as he resumes eating what's left of his now-cold food, Yuuya waits for an answer. His friend has changed a lot since they first met and every difference is still new enough to be surprising but in some ways Sawatari is exactly the same. Which is a good thing, he has to admit, because it's Sawatari he fell in love with.

Shingo takes one last gulp of his sugar-saturated coffee and clears his throat. "I didn't want to lose to you." The "again" part of that goes unspoken but it's obvious enough in the way his grip tightens on the cup. He doesn't break eye contact, almost daring Yuuya to challenge him.

"But you didn't that time! You were really good—"

"No. Obviously I don't expect you to understand," Shingo says before promptly stuffing the remains of his waffles into his mouth.

With a scoff, Yuuya gets to his feet and picks up their empty plates. "All right, be like that." He weaves his way through the crowd to the counter, piling the dishes on top of others waiting to be cleaned. When he turns around Sawatari's staring out the window, oblivious to the bustle around him and to Yuuya's steady gaze. He'd be furious if anybody said it to his face but he looks vulnerable in this early morning light. He looks his age. Yuuya stands there, taking in this quiet moment, and it occurs to him that every battle Sawatari fights has a private world staked on it. It's a shattering thing to be told you're wrong but worse yet is rejection. He's seen it before, how being rejected can kill the soul, and he knows it in his own way.

Their love grows in the space between words and what Shingo meant is clearer now. Yuuya closes the distance between them and puts a hand on the table, smile growing wider when Shingo looks up with a mix of surprise and relief.

"We should get going, Sawatari. I don't want to get in trouble again for being late to school." Yuuya waits for Shingo to get up then adds, "Thanks for giving me a ride, by the way!"

"But of course! I'm the ideal gentleman," says Shingo with a flourish. "We have plenty of time. But, knowing your track record...." He smirks, and there's the smug jerk Yuuya knows so well.

It's not condescension exactly, not these days, but it's still really, _really_ annoying. How best to pull that smirk off his face? "What do you wanna bet I won't be late today? How about loser has to go on a date with the winner, and!" Yuuya holds up a finger. "And pay for everything!"

This is a reference to—no, a straight up reenactment of Shingo's implicit confession all those months ago and he takes a minute to respond, speechless. It's meant in good spirit, to be sure, and Yuuya knows his friend is a sucker for almost anything he does yet Shingo frowns like he's been insulted.

But instead of starting a fight or just leaving in a rage Shingo ignores the affront by pulling Yuuya into the diner bathroom and quieting him with a kiss, the warmth of their hands on each other's hips reminding them both of who and what they are. They're going to be late, no question about it, and it doesn't matter because in the face of teenage romance everything else falls away. Maybe an outsider would call this cheating but Shingo plays to win and Yuuya likes it when he does. They both know even if he won Yuuya's heart a thousand times over, five hundred times for everything unsaid and five hundred more for love, it still wouldn't be enough to show how much he cares for him. As it is, however, after those rough early days each gentle kiss is a victory.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! please leave kudos and/or comments if you can, they mean a lot to me!


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